There are two main categories on the Web in my opinion. The first one is the global outreach for business and information. Here the language is definitely English first, with local versions where appropriate. The second one is local information of all kinds in the most remote places. If the information is meant for people of an ethnic and/or language group, it should be in that language first with perhaps a summary in English. We have seen lately how important these local websites are — in Kosovo and Turkey, to mention just the most recent ones. People were able to get information about their relatives through these sites.
= What is your best experience with the Internet?
Getting pictures directly from space (Jupiter).
= And your worst experience?
Information overload. I get too much and I do not have the tools yet to get only what I want.
*Interview of August 30, 2000
= What has happened since our last interview?
The explosion of mobile technology. The mobile phone has become for many people, including me, the personal communicator which allows you to be anywhere anytime and still be reachable. But the mobile Internet is still a dream. The new services on mobile (GSM) phones are extremely primitive and expensive (WAP = Wait and Pay). See my article about Finland (in French).
= How do you see the growth of a multilingual Web?
Multilingualism has expanded greatly. Many e-commerce websites are multilingual now and there are companies that sell products which make localization possible (adaptation of websites to national markets).